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The Rules contain certain conditions and processes relating to the assessment and determination of academic progress of undergraduate students of the University.

Administered by: DEST

General Comments:
These Rules were originally made under section 7 of the Programs and Awards Statute 2004 and are continued in force under section 4 of the Programs and Awards Statute 2006 (see section 9 of the Programs and Awards Statute 2006 for transitional provision).

The Council of the Australian National University makes these Rules under section 7 of the Programs and Awards Statute 2004.

Dated: 10 December 2004.

Peter Baume AO

Chancellor

_______________________________________________________________

1Name of Rules and commencement

1(1)These Rules are the Academic Progress Rules 2005.

(2)These Rules commence on 31 December 2004, immediately after the commencement of the Rules (Repeal) Rules 2004.

2Interpretation

2(1)In these Rules:

Academic Progress Committee means the Committee established under rule 11.

award means an undergraduate award offered by the University.

course authority, for a course, is the person in charge of the course, including, but not limited to, the Dean of a Faculty, the Director or Head of the Department, School or Centre in which the course is offered.

course code means the alphanumeric code used within the University to identify uniquely a particular course.

department includes centre, division and school.

enrol includes re-enrol, and enrolment has a corresponding meaning.

equivalent course is any course, declared by the relevant course authority to have a sufficient similarity of content to another course despite having a different title or different course code.

faculty means a faculty in The Faculties.

panel means the appeal panel constituted under rule 6.

prescribed authority in relation to a student in relation to a program, means the person appointed under subrule 3 (1).

program means a structured program of study leading to an undergraduate award.

student means a student who is or was enrolled (as the case requires) in a program.

(2)A reference in these Rules to a particular course includes a reference to an equivalent course.

3Prescribed authority: appointment etc

3(1)The Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education) must appoint the appropriate dean, director or head of the relevant academic area in which the student is enrolled, or a person nominated for the purpose by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education), to be the prescribed authority for a program.

(2)The prescribed authority must take reasonable steps to ensure that the operation of subrule 4(2) is applied consistently and fairly within the academic area concerned.

4Repeated failure in acourse

4(1)If a student fails a course twice, the student must obtain the approval of the course authority before re-enrolling in the course.

[NOTE: Failure includes N, NCN and WN and takes no account of the program in which the course is taken.]

(2)A course authority may approve, conditionally approve or refuse to approve a student’s application to re-enrol in a course.

(3)If the course authority refuses to approve a student’s application to re-enrol in a course, the course authority must specify the duration of that refusal.

5Notice

5(1)A student to whom subrule 4(1) applies must be advised of his or her appeal rights.

(2)Advice under subrule (1) may be given to an individual student or generally.

6Review and appeal

6(1)A student whose request under subrule 4(1) to re-enrol in a course is refused may ask the prescribed authority responsible for the program in which the course is included to review the decision.

(2)A request for a review must be in writing and must be lodged with the prescribed authority not later than 14 days after the date of the refusal, or within any further period that the prescribed authority allows.

(3)Unless the prescribed authority determines the request in favour of the student, the student may appeal to the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education), or his or her nominee, for determination of the matter.

(4)On receipt of an appeal under subrule (3), the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education), or his or her nominee, must convene a panel of 3 appropriately qualified persons to hear and determine the appeal.

(5)A student may make a statement in writing to the panel conducting the appeal.

(6)At an appeal, the panel must consider the statement, if any, of the student in relation to the appeal and any other matters that the panel considers relevant.

(7)An appeal is to be conducted in such manner as the panel conducting the appeal determines.

(8)At an appeal the student may:

(a)appear in person; and

(b)present to the appeal oral or written statements (whether made by the student or another person); and

(c)in addition to, or instead of, appearing in person, furnish to the panel a written statement in relation to the appeal (whether made by the student or another person).

(9)At an appeal, the student concerned is entitled to be accompanied by a student or a member of the staff of the University who may observe the proceedings but not act as an advocate unless expressly invited to do so by the panel conducting the appeal.

(10)The powers of the panel conducting an appeal under this rule may be exercised whether or not the student is present.

7Grounds for appeal

7(1)The grounds for an appeal are as follows:

(a)severe illness or medical condition (documentary evidence of which must be lodged with the appeal);

(b)harshness of the effect of refusing to approve the request to re-enrol in the course;

(c)special circumstances set out in the appeal.

8Decision on appeal

8(1)The panel may uphold the appeal or dismiss the appeal and, if the panel upholds the appeal, the panel may:

(a)permit re-enrolment in the course; or

(b)permit re-enrolment in the course with a condition.

(2)The decision of the panel is final.

9Attending classes pending decision on appeal

9(1)A student who appeals against a decision not to approve re-enrolment in a course may apply to re-enrol in the next semester or session in another course pending the outcome of the appeal.

[NOTE: It is intended that resolution of appeals will be concluded no later than the first day of first semester, and by the end of the third week of second semester, as the case requires.

The final date for enrolment in any course is the course Census Date.]

10Failure to maintain satisfactory standard of academic progress in program

10(1)A student who fails more than 50% of the unit value of the courses attempted in a semester (including a session) of enrolment may be considered to have performed poorly and may be liable to show cause why he or she should be permitted to continue in the program for which he or she has enrolled.

[NOTE: It is intended that, for this rule, First Semester includes courses taken in Summer Session and Second Semester includes courses taken in Winter and Spring Sessions.]

(2)However, a student in the School of Art or Music who at any stage fails his or her major study (within the meaning of the relevant Order published in the Undergraduate Handbook) must be required to show cause why he or she should be permitted to continue in the program for which he or she has enrolled.

(3)Also, a student in the Medical School must reach a satisfactory standard (within the meaning of the relevant Order published in the Undergraduate Handbook) in all assessment tasks and courses before being permitted to progress to the next level of study.

(4)If the relevant prescribed authority for a program to which this rule applies requires a student to whom this rule applies to show cause why he or she should be permitted to continue in the program for which he or she has enrolled, the prescribed authority must ask the student to respond within 14 days of the request to show cause being notified to the student.

(5)After the period for responding, under subrule (4), to a request to show cause has expired, the matter and any submission by the student concerned is to be forwarded to the relevant Academic Progress Committee for final determination.

(2)If a student’s academic progress in a program is referred to the Academic Progress Committee under rule 10, the Committee may:

(a)exclude the student from the program permanently or for a period determined by the Committee; or

(b)determine that the student transfer to an alternate program; or

(c)determine that the student vary his or her load to take account of the impact of external pressures on his or her academic studies; or

(d)determine that the student take leave of absence from the program for a period determined by the Committee; or

(e)impose conditions on the student’s re-enrolment in the program; or

(f)refer the student to academic and professional staff for advice and support; or

(g)determine other strategies as appropriate.

(3)The decision of an Academic Progress Committee in a particular case is final.

12Saving

12(1)The Academic Performance Rules 2002, and the Institute of the Arts – Undergraduate Academic Progress Rules, as amended and in force immediately before the commencement of the Academic Progress Rules 2004, continue to apply to a student for a course to which these Rules would otherwise apply if:

(a)before the commencement of the Academic Progress Rules 2004, the student completed work towards that course and elects to be bound by this subrule; and

(b)not to do so would affect the student adversely.

13Application of amending Rules

13(1)If an amendment is made to these Rules, and that amendment affects a course to which these Rules relate, the amendment does not apply to a student who, before the making of the amendment, has completed any work towards that course unless: